Another Sunday. Another break from staring at my fantasy roster to countdown the 3 best films in theaters right now. It's also a chance for me to make a humbling admission...
3. Where the Wild Things Are
If you haven't taken the time to see Spike Jonze's gorgeous, inventive masterpiece then what are you waiting for? By now you should've seen it, loved it, and pre-ordered your DVD copy on Amazon...which I hope you did directly from our site. :-)
2. Saw VI
Jigsaw's unholy quest continues from beyond the grave in this critical sixth installment of the king of torture porn(sorry, Hostel!). This time around, the health insurance agency gets skewered(literally and figuratively) in a cathartic release that I'm sure had Michael Moore and Howard Dean weeping tears of joy.
1. Michael Jackson's This Is It
I spent weeks hammering the very idea of this film. Why would I want to see a bunch of rehearsals by a guy who just died under..."mysterious" circumstances? Sounded morbid. Sounded like a money grab. And I'm sure for the most part it is a money grab. But morbid it ain't. It's awe inspiring. This Is It is an eye opener for those of us who never knew the man's dedication to his craft, and his ultimate devotion to the fans who coined the term King of Pop just for him. This film is a marvel, and worthy of the limitless talents of it's star. So yeah, I was wrong about this movie. As wrong as I've ever been about any movie.
DVD Pick: Orphan (2009)
Let's face it, movies about evil children are awesome: The Good Son; Joshua; The Omen. There's something about watching these kids hack their way through the normally clueless adults who always attribute any emotional issues to the usual pains of growing up. Right. Now take this axe to the head, Dad! Orphan is a guilty pleasure at it's guiltiest, about a struggling(Sam Rockwell & Vera Farmiga) who adopt a little Russian girl and get considerably more than they bargained for. At this point Vera Farmiga can play the distressed mom in her sleep(Running Scared, Joshua,are two other prime examples) and newcomer Isabelle Fuhrman bounces gleefully from princess to psychopath. Not altogether scary, but bloody good fun, and a nice twist at the end that's definitely worth the wait.
